About Cyrus

Cyrus Tashakkori is Vice President at Pioneer Green Energy, a wind and solar power developer based in Austin, TX. He has an MBA and a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Texas in Austin and a Bachelor's in Science & Economics from the University of North Carolina, Asheville.

Beautiful Disaster – The Republican Hoax of the Texas Miracle | Progress Texas KIM PATE & PHILLIP MARTIN TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2014 – See more at: http://progresstexas.org/blog/beautiful-disaster-republican-hoax-texas-miracle#sthash.QZyGC4oV.dpuf Republicans like to talk about a “Texas Miracle,” in which conservative policies were a magic wand waved over the land that created a mystical utopia. It sounds like quite the tall tale – and that’s because it is. We call it a “Beautiful Disaster.” Falling high school graduation rates, last in the country in health care coverage, at the bottom in voter turnout and at at the bottom in air quality. Texas might … Continue reading this post →

This is what the legacy of ‘white privilege’ looks like in Bill O’Reilly’s hometown – The Washington Post. An excellent piece highlighting how white privilege really works and why it’s very relevant today even though the policies that favored whites may be decades in the past.

At a time when most states are seeing higher revenues as the country recovers economically, Kansas’ revenues have plummeted. The result has been cuts to schools, cuts to higher education, cuts to libraries, and cuts to local health centers. Kansas’ job growth and income growth are lagging the nation’s. In response to the fiscal difficulties, Moody’s recently lowered the state’s bond rating. via GOP governor implements GOP economics, disaster ensues – The Washington Post.

Editor’s Note: This Inside Climate News piece is some of the best journalism we have seen in years. It’s a real case study in Laissez Faire Republican governance and why society can’t rely on the market to police itself as conservatives and libertarians would have us believe. This is a story of market failure, legalized corruption, and the dangers of small government. We highly recommend taking the time to read the full report by clicking on the below link, and have included the Summary Findings below: Fracking the Eagle Ford Shale: Big Oil & Bad Air on the Texas Prairie | … Continue reading this post →

It’s just false to equivocate Democratic and Republican roles in the gridlock that has gripped Washington. The Republican Party can’t even get anything done in their own caucus because of the Tea Party and their extreme political agenda. I hope independents and Democrats are paying attention and getting out to vote to get rid of these neanderthals in November 2014. #voteblue2014 Fareed Zakaria: The party of gridlock – The Washington Post. I have been described as a centrist. And I freely admit to believing that neither side of the political spectrum has a monopoly on wisdom or virtue. But sometimes, reality … Continue reading this post →

The EPA has proposed historic standards on carbon dioxide from new coal/gas power plants. The standards are open for public comment and are under assault by the fossil fuels industry. Please submit a comment today. You can copy the text of my letter below and email it to the EPA at: email: a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov Even if you simply write a one-sentence email with the docket number and the words “I support strong carbon emissions standards” that will help. ———————————————————— Attn: Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2013-0495. To Whom It May Concern: I am writing these comments in response to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2013-0495, … Continue reading this post →

GOP Obamacare sabotage works. Incredible: Tuesday’s GOP response to the State of the Union featured “Bette in Spokane” whose insurance costs went way up under Obamacare. It turns out though that Bette was the victim of GOP sabotage. She took Republican advice and did NOT shop for a plan on the Exchange and got ripped off. As this article points out: “Even though the exchange could have gotten her a better deal, it was a better political outcome for Republicans that she didn’t avail herself of that option. And precisely because she didn’t, she was turned into a poster woman … Continue reading this post →

This is an article from 2009: Health insurance costs rise far more than inflation – Sep. 15, 2009. The reason I post it is because it highlights the skyrocketing cost of healthcare BEFORE OBAMACARE WAS EVEN PASSED. Many opponents of Obamacare point to the still rising cost of healthcare and blame it on Obamacare (in fact costs have flattened for the first time in decades since Obamacare was passed, though it’s too early to know if it’s a trend). The point is that the main reason Obama and Democrats moved mountains to pass such a transformitive law was because skyrocketing … Continue reading this post →